Tonight for dinner I'm looking forward to eating leftovers from these Asian Lettuce Wraps with Pork, Napa Cabbage, and Red Bell Pepper for the second time, and if you saw how much food accumulates in my fridge you'd realize that means these lettuce wraps are really good! We're doing Phase One Recipes for the month of January, and I think flavorful lettuce wraps are really a treat for Phase One.

This recipe was adapted from The South Beach Diet Quick and Easy Cookbook, and the recipe was for lettuce rolls, but when I couldn't get the lettuce to roll up very well I switched gears and decided to make them lettuce wraps. If you like the idea of lettuce cups or lettuce wraps for phase one (or any time you want a healthy meal without many carbs) there are some other good ideas after the recipe.

You may be wondering just what's the difference between a lettuce wrap and a lettuce cup. Here's my take on that. If the lettuce leaves are large enough that you can wrap them all the way around the filling, that's what I'd call a lettuce wrap. On the other hand, if you're using smaller lettuce leaves that you just fill, cup in your hand, and eat without folding them over, I'd call that a lettuce cup. Whichever way you eat these they'll be delicious I promise.

I changed the dressing mixture from the original recipe and also made more dressing, ending up with a mixture of fish sauce, rice vinegar, ginger puree, garlic puree, sesame oil, and red pepper flakes.

Thinly slice 2-3 cups of napa cabbage (a bit less than half a head.)

Cut up one red bell pepper into thin strips.

Toss the shredded napa cabbage and red pepper strips together in a bowl.

Break apart the lettuce into leaves, wash, and spin dry (or dry with paper towels.) I used Boston lettuce, but I think Romaine or Iceberg lettuce are also good for lettuce wraps if you want something that's less expensive.

To get pork cutlets, I used those thick pork chops from Costco, cut them in half crosswise, and then pounded the halves until they were thin. (Next time I'd pound a bit more enthusiastically and make them even thinner.)

Heat the peanut or canola oil in a heavy frying pan, then cook the pork cutlets until both sides are lightly brown, about 2-3 minutes per side.

Cut the pork into thin strips. (Next time I'd cut some of those wider strips in half again; I've been doing that when I reheat the leftovers.)

Toss the cooked pork strips with about 2 T of the dressing. Toss the shredded napa cabbage and red pepper strip mixture with another 2 T of the dressing.

To assemble the lettuce wraps (or cups) put about 6-8 strips of pork and top with a small handful of the napa cabbage and red pepper mixture. I like to add a teaspoon of extra dressing on top. Fold over or cup in your hand and eat!

Thinly slice the napa cabbage and cut the red bell pepper into strips. Put napa cabbage and bell pepper strips into a bowl and toss together. Wash lettuce and spin dry or dry with paper towels.

Cut pork chops in half to make thin cutlets, then pound with a meat mallet (or something heavy) until the pork is about 1/4 inch thick. (Next time I would pound mine a bit thinner than the photos.) Season pork with salt and fresh ground black pepper on both sides. Heat oil in heavy frying pan and cook pork cutlets until lightly browned on both sides, about 2-3 minutes per side. Cut the cooked pork into thin strips and toss with about 2 T of the dressing mixture.

Toss the napa cabbage and red pepper mixture with 2 T of the dressing mixture. Then assemble lettuce wraps or cups by putting 6-8 strips of pork in each lettuce leaf, topped with a small handful of the napa cabbage and bell pepper mixture. I like to add about a teaspoon of extra dressing on top. Fold over or cup in your hand and enjoy!

If you're not going to eat all the lettuce wraps at once, toss the cooked pork with dressing but only add dressing to as much of the napa cabbage/bell pepper mixture as you're going to use. Refrigerate ingredients separately. I reheated the pork strips when I ate the leftovers, but it's not essential.

I chose the South Beach Diet to manage my weight partly so I wouldn't have to count calories, carbs, points, or fat grams, but if you want nutritional information for a recipe, I recommend entering the recipe into Calorie Count, which will calculate it for you. Or if you're a member of Yummly, you can use the Yum button on my site to save the recipe and see the nutritional information there.

More Lettuce Wraps You Might Like:
(Recipes from other blogs may not always be South Beach Diet friendly; check ingredients.)

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@Onna- I thought the same thing and avoided trying fish sauce for many years. I finally broke down and bought a small bottle. It's very salty and has a fish flavor, but only enhances flavors when used in recipes. It doesn't overwhelm. Give it a try, even using less than called for in a recipe the first time if you're still feeling hesitant. You'll be glad you did.

These look really, really good, Kalyn. With either pork or chicken, I know I'd love them. ;-) I know what you mean about pork though. One often has to cut it much smaller/thinner than one would chicken. I'm not sure I can get hubby to try the lettuce cups or wraps (although I love them), so I will do those while I put his filling in a tortilla (easy solution). ;-)

Though this is unrelated to today's post, I just wanted to say THANK YOU for this blog site and all the incredible information and recipes in it.

I have been on South Beach for 7 days, and have lost 6 pounds! Hating the scale less and less each day!I spent an hour or better last night perusing your site for helpful information and recipes. You are awesome, and I am amazed that you have been keeping this going for so long. I loved reviewing your Top 10's from the last several years.

I have your Southwestern Egg Casserole in the oven right now, and it smells delicious!

I'm so happy you're taking the time to comment on Kalyn's Kitchen! I love hearing from people who stop by, especially if you're sharing feedback or asking questions about a recipe I've posted here.

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